Before the Dawn
by Skyris
Summary: Trigon is gone and the world is safe, but something lurks inside of Raven. Raven tries to hide her problems, but Starfire can see past her facade. To help her friend, she seeks to find what is wrong and how to solve it. Rated for later adult themes.
1. Nightmares

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, but not my first writing experience. I recently got back into the Teen Titans fandom and decided to start a story. I'm hopeful that I can be consistent and stick with the story through my school work.

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><p>This story is aimed to be RaexStar but I do not intend for it to get to a serious relationship. This is rated what it is for any future adult themes that may occur in the story line. This chapter does not contain anything major. Also, I do not own the Teen Titans (sadly).<p>

"_The gem was born of evil's fire,_

_The gem shall be his portal._

_He comes to claim,_

_He comes to sire,_

_The end of all things mortal!"_

"Raven!" Starfire cried out for her friend from behind Raven's telekinetic shield. Her eyes filled with hot tears as she saw Scath's warning tear from Raven's body and encircle her. She cried out again and pounded her fists on the wall as the portal started to open.

"Starfire, stop!" Robin grabbed her arms and tried to pull her back; Starfire lunged out of his grip effortlessly with her Tameranian strength. He tried again, desperately trying to calm the alien down, but she was too much for him to handle. Finally, she grabbed Robbin by the front of his uniform and tossed him away effortlessly.

Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to do the same, and received the same cruelty from their actions. Raven's shield started to come crashing down, and Starfire took flight. Robin, recovered from the throw, attempted to grab Starfire's ankle as she began to ascend, but narrowly missed. "Starfire!"

"Forgive me, friends," Starfire whispered under her breath.

Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl, but Robin put his arm back to stop him. Beast Boy transformed back. "Dude, she's gonna get-"

"Let her go." Robbin narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch Starfire ascend. All the other Titans could do was watch.

_Starfire..._

Raven's voice rang through Starfire's mind, bringing her to a sudden halt. "Raven..."

_Save yourself, Star. It's over._

"No! It is not over, Raven! We will defeat the Trigon and-"

_Trust me, please..._

"No!" Starfire cried out as she continued to watch her friend be devoured by a blinding light. She wanted desperately to help, to save Raven, but she found herself descending. Her feet touched the ground, and she stood there as the portal came crashing down.

Robin reached out to grab Starfire by the hand, but was knocked over by the portal's impact with the library floor. Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to shield themselves from the immense light, but soon too fell to their knees. Robin watched in horror as Starfire remained standing amidst the blinding light, fire, and ash; he again screamed for her, but his words were lost to Trigon's final ascension into the world. Trigon's words of victory rang through his ears, and then he knew nothing. Not Beast Boy. Not Cyborg, not Raven or Starfire.

_Raven..._

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><p>Raven's eyes shot open in the dark. She sat up and looked across her room, then plopped back down on her pillows as she saw nothing was out of place.<p>

"It's just another bad dream," she said to herself. "Trigon is gone." Raven turned over and stared out of the huge windows. Jump City's lights adorned the bay's shore like fireflies. She lay there motionless, several thoughts running through her head. She sighed as she became more and more awake, deciding to go to the top of the tower to think things over and maybe do some meditation.

Raven rose from the bed. In two quick flicks of her wrists, she summoned her cloak from the floor to wrap around her and opened the door to her room. She checked out in the hall to make sure no one was there, and then ventured out in direction to the top of the tower.

The crisp September morning air nipped at Raven's nose. She pulled her hood up and wrapped her cloak around her tighter as she walked forward nearly to the edge of the tower. Jump City; it sleepily nestled against the shore. Bright lights of the night slowly became dimmer and dimmer. The normal bustle of the big city was calm, as if it were the hour of deliverance.

Raven sighed and dropped to a sitting position. She held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples gently. "You're gone." she whispered out into the night. "The city is safe. Nothing's going wrong..."

Almost everything had gone perfect, actually. It had been over a year since Trigon's defeat. The world was safe; the Titans were safe; she was safe. Crime had gone down considerably, leaving the Titans with little to worry about. Jump City had become so void, even, that most of the Titans took on hobbies or odd-jobs. Cyborg had his mechanic hook-ups in the city; Beast Boy tested new video games, and Robin had a Jujutsu class twice a week. Starfire...Raven wasn't sure where she went or what she did, just that she was out of the tower most nights of the week.

Raven fell back and stared at the cloudy night sky. "And what does poor, pitiful Raven have?" she said out to the stars. They didn't answer her back, and she was disappointed as if she expected them to. "I have nothing, unlike everyone else." Raven gritted her teeth in anger and turned on her side, curling up inside herself against the cold concrete. "That's all I'll ever be; nothing."

"Raven?"

The sudden voice nearly shook Raven out of her skin. She quickly sat up and drew her cloak around her. "Beast Boy, I already told you-" Raven stopped as she realized it was not in fact Beast Boy, but Starfire. "Oh, it's just..." Raven paused and swallowed hard, "You."

Starfire just stared at her with her head slightly tilted.

"...How long were you standing there?" The question came out strained.

"Friend Raven, why do you put yourself down?"

_Long enough then,_ Raven thought to herself. "Look, Starfire," She pushed herself up and stood, brushing off her cloak. "I'm just going through some stuff right now. Everyone else is out of the tower doing other things, and I have nothing to do."

Starfire looked confused at Raven's words. Raven sighed and walked closer. "I'm alone here a lot. It gives me too much time to think, and you know as well as I do how dangerous it is for me to think."

Starfire shook her head. "That is not what bothers me, friend. You are not always alone, yes? There are others here?"

"Well, sure, usually in the day anyway."

Starfire smiled brightly and grabbed Raven's hands as she gushed. "Then perhaps you could partake in activities with the others! Beast Boy and Cyborg would be glad to play against you in the game of-"

"No."

Starfire's face fell for a short second, and then rose back up again. "What about combat practice with Robin?"

Raven sighed and pulled her hands away. "Robin and I have totally different fighting styles. Besides, he's not as tough as he thinks he is." Raven coldly walked past Starfire to the door leading back inside.

Starfire's mood again fell as she watched Raven leave. What could she have done wrong? She only wanted to help; Raven was her closest female companion, after all. Starfire initially knew Raven would change after Trigon's defeat, but she never imagined it like this. It was almost as if she were as terrified as before Trigon's ascension into the world, and this greatly troubled Starfire. "Dearest friend Raven..." Starfire thoughtfully looked at the door leading inside. "I did not even mention the things we could do together while I am here."

Raven opened her door, careful not to let her frustration make too much noise. With a low growl, she closed her door, locked it and plopped down on the edge of her bed. "Why do you always do this, Raven?" Candlewicks around the room sparked to life as her voice rose, her angst and emotions strong and apparent. "Why, why why?" With each word the flames and Raven's emotions grew higher. Raven finally noticed and instantly became a few degrees calmer; the flames died down to normal.

She sighed and unclasped her cloak to let it fall on the mattress. She soon followed it, kicking her blankets away to grab them again and wrap them around her. Raven could feel the bad emotions slowly subside within her with each breath she took and eventually, one by one, the candles all went out. She couldn't help but keep thinking about it, her sudden flare of emotions. It wasn't that she didn't have anything to do like the others that made her so upset, but the way she reacted to Starfire and how she hadn't told her what was _really_ going on, about the nightmares of her father. The more she hid it, the worse it became.

Raven decided not to think about it for now. Maybe if she slept it off, she'd feel better in the morning. Maybe Starfire would forget about what happened, and Raven could make up for it somehow. She sighed at this thought; she knew Starfire better than that. She _never_ forgets. Perhaps they could meditate together, or Raven could teach Starfire the ins and outs of chess...No, Raven was afraid she'd confuse Starfire.

"But maybe...Starfire is a nice person." Raven started, thinking aloud, "Maybe she'll forgive me over a slice of pizza. Or better yet, a trip to the mall." It was a hopeful thought, one that Raven clung to. It was almost a weekly agenda for Starfire to invite Raven to the mall; she had always politely declined, instead opting for the sanctity and privacy of her room. She hoped that surprising Starfire with the invitation would help ease the tensions of the night's affairs. As she started planning out what they would do and at what point would be appropriate for Raven to apologize, sleep washed over her like waves crashing to the shore. Raven didn't dare fight it, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

Starfire managed to make it back inside fast enough to watch Raven storm into her room. Her heart just kept sinking lower and lower; Starfire was beginning to wonder just how much lower it was going to sink.

Starfire opened her room door, entered, and shut it behind her. She walked to her bed and turned on a small lamp; she sat down on the edge of her bed and put her head in her hands. Her mind was still pouring over what had just happened: Starfire had heard a noise, went outside to investigate, saw Raven and heard her negative words, tried to help, and was coldly denied. It almost didn't make sense. Starfire knew Raven well enough to know that she was a very secluded person and she gave some consideration about what had happened.

She was only trying to help Raven, and Starfire was certain Raven knew that as well. Maybe she just wanted to be alone with it, she thought. Maybe it is something very personal and dear.

Starfire knew Raven needed help, whether Raven wanted to admit it or not. "Raven is my dearest friend," Starfire softly whispered. "I need to help her in whatever ways I can." Starfire let a slight smile cross her lips as she turned the lamp off and stretched out on her bed. "I am certain she would do the same for me."

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><p>Author's Note: I intended for the first chapter to be a bit longer, but I could seem to drag it out a couple hundred more words. What do you think so far? Comments and reviews would be great. I will try to work on this in my spare time. :)<p> 


	2. Arrangements

A/N: I finished Ch. 2 sooner than I allowed. This is again not as long as I wanted it to be, but I didn't want to stretch it out. I could have combined this and the next chapter, but I want to keep the story moving. Nothing bad in this chapter, (very) slight hinting at Star/Rae, though it's more of a friendly mood.

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><p>The cruel world awoke Raven a few hours later; some stray beams of light had managed to leak past the curtains and land on the head of Raven's bed. She squinted her eyes and pulled her blankets over her head. Raven groaned and turned over away from the windows as she pulled the bedding from over her head, instead curling up into a tight ball and pulling as much of it as she could around her. <em>I don't want to get out of bed,<em> she thought quietly to herself. _I don't want to go to the mall with Starfire._ Feelings of guilt started to creep into her head, but soon were consumed by her desire to remain in bed. It was just too comfortable for Raven to leave.

She let out a contented sigh as the feeling of sleep began to return to her. Her whole body numbed from head to foot, from mind to soul. Raven's eyes dropped shut; darkness began to enclose her mind as sleep came closer and closer. A slight smile crossed her lips as she embraced the idea of ditching the mall for sleep.

A loud crash followed by the bending and scraping of metal followed soon after, causing all thoughts of sleep to fall away.

"Wake up, friend!" Starfire burst into the room and started happily floating around the room. Raven let out a scream and nearly jumped out of her skin. In a state of emergency, Raven quickly sat up and flung a hand out in the direction of Starfire with a ball of black energy surrounding it. When she realized who it was, the energy dissipated and she returned to normal.

"Starfire," Raven's mental training had allowed her to hide the anger in her voice. "What are you doing in my room? And why did you break down the door?"

Starfire stopped moving and levitated over Raven's bed, obviously unaware that her friend was upset. "I apologize, but it was locked and I was beginning to worry. You were not responding to my calls. I was hoping that we could do things together today, to help with your troubles." Starfire smiled brightly.

Raven couldn't stay mad at Starfire; she was too kind, too helpful. She let out a sigh and rubbed her temple momentarily. "Of course, Starfire. That sounds like fun." Not that she meant it. Whenever she and Starfire spent time together, Raven often ended up getting annoyed or uncomfortable. She always managed to hide it from Starfire though, and she was thankful that she could. Hurting Starfire was something Raven didn't like doing and often regretted in the end.

Starfire lunged forward and exuberantly hugged Raven's neck, nearly knocking Raven back into her headboard. "Thank you, friend! You are most kind!"

Raven pushed away and watch as Starfire sat cross-legged on the bed in front of her. "No problem, Star. I actually wanted to...ask you to do some stuff with me today anyway, because of how I acted last night." Raven stared into Starfire's bright green eyes; she watched as her expression went from overly happy to understanding.

"Raven, I know that things have been difficult for you. I know that you did not mean to be harsh with your words. I cannot be mad or judge you for it."

Raven was taken aback at her understanding and kindness. "You mean it, Star?"

Starfire nodded and hugged Raven again, this time with less enthusiasm. "You are my closest friend and I cherish that friendship deeply. Our people take such bonds very seriously."

As Starfire held her, Raven's heart throbbed in sadness. It had been a long time since someone told Raven they cared about her. It was almost enough to send her to tears. She instead averted her attention to the raven shaped clock hanging on the wall across from her; just past eight o' clock. Raven collected herself and gently pushed Starfire away. "Well, if we wanna do stuff, we might as well get started. It's past eight now."

Starfire's eyes lit up and she jumped from the bed, idly pulling Raven along with her. "You are correct, friend! There is much I wish to do with you today!"

Raven pulled her cloak from the floor (she had apparently kicked it off during the night) and wrapped it around her to hide her uniform. It was just then that she realized she had slept in it. "Star, if you don't mind, is it okay if I shower first?"

Starfire stopped at Raven's now demolished door and let Raven's hand go. Raven gave a shocked glance at it. "Forgive me, Raven. I had not yet thought about that. Perhaps I will go freshen up as well. We shall meet in the operations room?" Starfire smiled brightly; Raven couldn't help but let a smile cross her lips.

"Sure. See you there." Starfire gave Raven a quick hug and ran out of the room. Raven watched as her red hair splayed out behind her as she turned around the corner, then back to the door to inspect the damage; it was beyond a do-it-yourself repair. She made a mental note to ask Cyborg when he returned to replace the door. She turned and with a sigh headed for the bathroom adjoining her room.

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><p>Raven's shower was quick but refreshing. She searched through her closet as she continued to dry her hair; cloaks and spare uniforms, among some civilian's clothing. She stared at the civilians for a while, then to her normal attire. It is a special occasion, she thought to herself. It wouldn't hurt to dress in civilian clothing. She searched through them and finally settled on a black t-shirt with slashes, a pair of black jeans that she knew was snug, and a pair of canvas shoes. She wanted to wear her favorite pair of boots, a mid-calf high two inch platform boot with buckles, but she was afraid Starfire would say something. Maybe another time, she thought.<p>

She dressed quickly in the bathroom and then checked herself over in the mirror. It had been a while since she wore civilian clothes, and she looked and felt different. She idly ran her comb through her hair as she continued to stare into the mirror, lost in thought. Finally she stopped, smoothed her shirt down, fixed the legs of her pants so they just went over her shoes, and exited the room to take Starfire up on their deal.

Raven was surprised that Starfire wasn't already in the operations room; Raven had taken a considerable amount of time in getting ready, or at least she thought she did. Suddenly her stomach growled and she looked almost instinctively at the nearest clock; half past eight. She might as well eat something while she waited for Starfire, so she headed to the small kitchen in the operations room and scrounged through the fridge.

Another half hour passed, and still there was no sign of Starfire. Raven had since finished eating some leftovers from last night's take-out order and cleaned up. She started to wonder if Starfire was even going to show up. Curious and a bit angered about her friend's absence, Raven decided to investigate. Wanting to get there quickly, she focused and teleported outside of Starfire's room. She sensed that Starfire wasn't inside; she tried the door to check Starfire's room for any sign of her. The door was locked, which was usually uncommon for the alien. Her polite manners thought it wasn't proper. Raven again focused, trying to find her. There was definitely no one but her inside the tower but her, but there was a faint sense that someone was on the roof. She headed that direction with an annoyed sigh.

Raven pondered on why Starfire would be there, when they agreed to meet in the operations room instead. With Starfire, one could almost never tell. Raven gritted her teeth but remained calm as she pushed open the door to the roof of the tower. "Starfire? You better be up here..." she muttered under her breath. She looked around, and, sure enough, there was Starfire, dressed in her normal uniform in contrast to Raven's attire. She was just standing there, staring out into space. Raven moved towards her. "Starfire, what are you doing up here? I thought we were going to-" She stopped as she came within a few feet from Starfire, following her line of sight of Jump City. "Uh...Starfire?"

"It is a wondrous sight, is it not?" Starfire's lips were crossed with her usual smile.

Raven raised a brow and looked at her. "I guess so. Aren't we supposed to be going?"

"Raven," Starfire looked at her. Their eyes connected, and Raven was taken aback by the depth and beauty of Starfire's eyes. "You and I have been close friends, especially since our bodies were switched. However, I feel..." Starfire broke her gaze for a moment, then looked back at Raven. "I feel as though we have grown apart because you stay in your room most of the time. I would love to go to the mall of shopping with you, Raven, but what I really want is to know how you are. I wish to know if you are okay."

All Raven could do was stare at Starfire's glowing face. Raven's eyes furrowed in sadness; she hadn't realized how much time she had been spending alone. More than that, she didn't think anyone else had noticed. "You...you _missed_ me? Starfire..."

Starfire quickly pulled Raven into a hug. "Of course, dear friend! On my planet, companionship with another means a lot."

Raven passed through Starfire's arms and levitated away a few feet out of impulse. "I didn't think...No one said anything..."

Starfire went to Raven and again embraced her; this time Raven stayed, feeling as the hug was more gentle than the first. "We may not say anything, Raven, but the other Titans and I worry about you." Raven mulled over Starfire's words; could they really be true? She hesitated in Starfire's arms before wrapping her arms around her. The hug was warm and comforting, and Raven found herself to be enjoying it. Starfire giggled and hugged her a little tighter. She pulled away enough to look at Raven, with her hands still resting on Raven's arms.

"It would please me greatly to help you."

Raven felt a little awkward at the way they were standing, but couldn't help to smile at Starfire; her bright eyes wouldn't allow anything less. "I thought you wanted to go to the mall."

"Oh, but I do wish to go to the mall of shopping with you! Perhaps we can go another place to discuss your troubles afterwards?"

Raven nodded and pulled away completely. "Shall we?" Raven gestured back inside. "I'll let you pick the place you want to go after the mall."

"That sounds wondrous, Raven! I am so glad that you have decided to be social today!" Starfire clasped her hands together and swooned. Raven chewed on her lip.

"It's...nice to get out of the tower every now and then."

Starfire gave a simple nod of her head. "I would enjoy that. Allow me to dress more proper for the occasion, much like you have," Starfire pointed a slender finger to Raven's civilians, and Raven instinctively looked down to see if something where there.

She gave a quick brush of the hand and looked back at Starfire. "Take your time, I'll be waiting for you in the main room." Starfire smiled and quickly pulled her pale friend into a hug, and then dashed off. Raven watched after her, lost in thought. She was lost somewhere between regret and an analysis of things unnoticed of Starfire. Raven had never _really_ paid attention to how bouncy and cheery Starfire was; and, not to say the alien wasn't intelligent, Raven hadn't noticed Starfire's perception of things going on around her, even without interaction. There was no way Starfire knew the depth of what was going on, of what Raven's dreams were about. All she knew was that she'd been anti-social.

Raven's mind finally settled on the idea that the girls' outing would be fun.

_Fun._

It was nearly a foreign word to Raven. Raven's form of fun was much more out of the ordinary; staying in her room, reading her books and meditating. Everyone else, Starfire especially, had a very active life outside of the tower and took recreation seriously, and their social lives thrived. But Raven liked to be alone...didn't she? Her mind again mulled over this, but she caught herself and broke the process. "Dangerous thinking, Raven." Her voice had a dead tone to it, more so than usual. She concentrated and teleported to the operations room to take Starfire up on their outing.

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><p>AN: I'm starting to wonder if anyone's reading this. o.o


	3. Dress Shopping

A/N: You guys have no idea how much thought I put into this chapter. xD The clothing, dresses (Starfire's outfit especially), all this took 3 days to decide on before I started writing. I have to admit, writing this chapter was fun. This chapter has some tension in it (oh noes!) and a LOT more yuri in it compared to the last chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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><p>Raven sat casually on the sofa, her elbow propped on one of the arms with her hand supporting her head. In her lap was one of her books; it was well-worn, having been read countless times. As she gently flipped the pages of the ancient book, the smell of old paper filled the air for a few brief moments. Raven shifted her eyes to the nearest clock; just after ten. Her eyes turned back to the book. "You told her to take her time, Raven. Knowing Starfire, she won't know what to wear.<p>

"Friend Raven, I am ready!"

"Finally," Raven sat up and looked over the back of the couch. Raven's jaw slightly dropped as she saw a smiling Starfire, dressed stunningly in civilian's clothing; a short blue halter top dress with a black belt around her waist and a pair of black ballet flats with a slight lace pattern, along with a few pieces of jewelry to finish the outfit. Her hair was very neatly smoothed out and shinier than usual. It was a surprisingly good look on Starfire, and it instantly made Raven feel a little self-conscious. Starfire looked as though she cared about her appearance, while Raven's was more casual.

Starfire held her hands out in front of her and smiled, her skin flushing a light shade of pink at Raven's reaction. "How do I look?" Starfire did a quick curtsey and ventured further into the room. Raven stood and went around the sofa to meet her halfway.

"It looks...good on you, Starfire. I didn't even know you had civilian clothing."

"Perhaps if you went to the mall of shopping with me more often you would know this."

Raven raised a brow at the unusual rude comment. "Yeah. Shopping just kinda isn't my thing." She put it out of her mind, concluding that Starfire wanted to spend more time with her. Raven's eyes idly lingered over Starfire's attire; a small ring on her middle finger caught her eye. It looked peculiar, just a simple metal band, the kind from the quarter machines found in stores. It had some significance, but Raven wasn't sure what. She couldn't be bothered to ask.

Starfire's face lit up, as if she had never said anything. "I am certain you will enjoy it. You have gone with me before, did you not have fun?" Starfire's face fell slightly, worrying that their previous outings were worthless.

Raven was caught off guard. "No, Star! Don't get me wrong, I _did_ enjoy it, but-"

"But you do not wish to go with me again.." Starfire sunk lower and she looked down, the life in her eyes turning to a dull, pitiful green.

"Star," Raven grabbed her by the arm and looked at her with as much honesty she could muster. "I enjoyed it, because I got to spend time with you. To be honest and fair here, back before we defeated Trigon, little stuff like that kept me from leaving the team. It kept me sane."

Starfire looked up just slightly, the sadness still murky in her eyes. "You are not going with me just because I asked?"

"No," Raven smiled, and for once, it wasn't forced. "I want to go with you because I want to spend time with you. Well, that and I wasn't the nicest person in the world last night." Raven's tension eased as Starfire lit up again. The alien overwhelmingly hugged her friend, and Raven tried not to say anything about her strength. Starfire let go and Raven unconsciously coughed to recover from the lung-crushing hug. "So, are we going or what?"

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><p>Their first stop was the mall. It was crowded and loud as usual. Smells from all sorts of different shops filled Raven's nose, nearly choking her. She wasn't sure how Starfire could stand it; maybe it was because she hadn't been at the mall in such a long time and lost tolerance for it.<p>

Starfire was being her bubbly self, running into every store in the building. Raven could barely keep up with her, and even lost her a few times. She was glad she brought her communicator, and that Starfire still wore hers wherever she went.

Starfire must have been carrying seven different outfits when Raven found her the next time they were separated. If it hadn't been Starfire, Raven would've called her a lunatic. But, when Raven really thought about it, it was Starfire's curious personality and outgoing attitude that drew Raven to her. They were polar opposites and surprisingly compatible, as much as Raven hated to admit.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Starfire?"

Starfire didn't answer; instead, she held up two of the things she was carrying, one being an orange sweater, and the other a green sweater identical to the first. "Which do you like best, friend?"

Raven furrowed a brow. "Green and orange aren't really my colors, Star. I'm not sure what to tell you."

"Oh!" Starfire picked through the clothes, looking for something specific. She finally pulled out a short dark gray long sleeved dress with black horizontal stripes. It caught Raven's attention if only for a split second; the colors had some appeal to her unlike the sweaters that Starfire liked. "Do you like it?" Starfire was smiling brightly, obviously aware of Raven's reaction.

Raven reached out and took the garment in her hands; the fabric had a soft texture and felt nice under her fingers. It had the ability to stretch a bit, and Raven could tell it was form fitting. "It's...certainly nice."

"Then we shall see what you look like in it!" Starfire tossed the clothing she had onto a rack for unwanted clothing and pulled, more or less dragged, Raven to the changing rooms. She rushed down the small corridor of the changing section and stopped at an empty room.

Raven backed up a bit. "Starfire, I like it, but I'm not really a...dress person. You understand?"

Starfire pushed Raven into the room. "Nonsense! I am sure you will look amazing in the dress!" The door shut behind Raven. She was thankful Starfire hadn't followed her inside but instead gave her privacy. She stared into the mirrors on each wall, save the one behind her. She sighed deeply with a slight annoyance.

"Star, I really don't feel like doing this."

"Please, friend? I only wish to see what you look like in the dress."

Raven ran her tongue over her teeth. "Will it make you happy if I do?"

"Very much so!"

That was it, all Raven needed to hear. She held the dress out in front of her; it definitely was short, most likely meant to be worn with dress pants or a skirt. She turned, hung it on the wall hook behind her, and pulled off her shirt.

"Are you finished, friend?"

Raven's left eyebrow twitched; she had to remind herself she was doing this for Starfire. "Not yet. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Please hurry. I wish to see how you look."

Raven again took hold of the garment and pulled it over her head. She was careful not to pull any of the seams; it was more difficult to get into than she had expected. Raven smoothed her hair out when she finished, then did the same to the dress. She had to admit, it looked very flattering on her; the fabric conformed around her body to show off her curves, and the front of the dress was decently low. The fabric was surprisingly warm, well suited for later parts of the year.

"Are you finished now?"

"Yes, Star." No sooner had she said it did the door open. Raven's eyes grew wide as she realized what had happened, and scolded herself for not locking the door. When Starfire didn't close the door back, Raven hastily closed and locked it.

Starfire stood behind Raven and grabbed her by the shoulders, staring into the mirrors and contemplating over the dress. A feeling of discomfort washed over Raven as she felt how close Starfire was to her. "It looks very nice on you, Raven." Starfire's hands ventured down Raven's arms, her fingertips barely gliding over the fabric. Raven's mind screamed for her to move, to get away, that this was wrong. She had to remind herself again, she's doing this for Starfire. She was doing it because Starfire cared.

"Thank you, Star." Raven could notice that her voice shook slightly, but Starfire seemed unaware. Starfire's hands ventured further in curiosity, sliding her hands over Raven's ribs. Finally Raven snapped, and pivoted quickly on her heel, grabbing Starfire by the wrists. She found herself staring into the face of the alien, still inches from her. A few tense moments passed; Raven could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but sensed that none of Starfire's dare flinched faster than normal. Reality snapped back to her, and she let go of Starfire. Raven backed away a few feet, hoping not to upset Starfire as she did so.

The air was still tense, and silence remained for a few moments longer. Raven decided to break the silence. "Can I change back now?"

Starfire greeted her friend as she exited the changing room with her usual demeanor. Raven was still suffering what what had just happened, and the fact Starfire acted like it never happened made it worse. "Here, Star." She held the dress out to Starfire. "I'm not a big fan of dresses."

Starfire's face fell. "You do not like the dress?"

Raven really didn't feel like explaining. "It's not that I don't like it. It's highly unlikely that I'll wear it."

Starfire's face turned curious. "But you look so nice in the dress! And besides, you should really think-"

Raven slapped a hand over Starfire's mouth. "Let's just go, okay? How does pizza sound?"

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><p>The incident at the mall still shook Raven's mind at Jump City's pizza joint. Starfire had engaged her in conversation some time back, but she'd hardly been paying attention.<p>

"...and that is why a young Tameranian should never play with a portkin."

"That's great, Star." She tried to sound genuinely interested in the conversation. She looked around; they had ordered pizza some time ago, and Raven was getting more anxious for it as Starfire rambled on about nonsense. It wasn't that Raven was hungry. She knew that the pizza would at least keep Starfire quiet long enough for her to think about what happened.

"Raven, is there something you wish to talk about?"

Raven was again caught off guard. She had to think for a minute. "Starfire, what exactly is it that you do every night? I mean, where do you go?"

Raven saw Starfire's face light up in a mixture of shock and secrecy. "Well...I..."

She gave a deadpan stare at Starfire. "Yes?"

"I just...it is nice to get out of the tower, is it not? Does it matter what I do with my time?" Starfire smiled, although Raven could tell something was behind it. She wasn't about to ask. If she were meant to know, she'd figure it out at some point.

"Right."

The pizza arrived at their table after what seemed like an eternity later. Raven was thankful as Starfire started to gorge herself in her usual manners; it was a wonder to Raven how she never managed to spill anything or get food on herself. She propped an elbow on the table and watched Starfire as she began to contemplate what had happened just the hour earlier. Did Starfire simply not understand that such closeness between two women on Earth was often deemed as wrong? Or, if Raven's mind dare think it, did in fact Starfire know what she was doing? Was she _trying_ to come on to her? Either way it bothered Raven to the core.

"Raven?"

She snapped out of thought. Raven simply raised a brow to acknowledge she was listening.

"Are you not hungry?"

Raven then noticed there was a slice of pizza left. She looked at it momentarily, then back to Starfire, whose face was questioning. "Not really. I had a later breakfast than usual."

"You are...certain you do not want it?"

Raven flicked her wrist and pushed herself out of her chair. "Knock yourself out, but hurry so we can go. It's starting to get late." Raven turned and pointed to the streetlamps; the bulbs were starting to flicker a halogen glow. "I'm sure the guys are wondering where we are." Raven heard Starfire devour the last slice; she had to wonder if she ate it whole by the sound of it.

"I thank you for a wonderful time, friend Raven." Starfire danced from her seat and clung to Raven's arm, trying to get at close to her as possible. Again a feeling of discomfort washed over Raven, and she felt her face heat up. She gently pushed Starfire away and looked at her.

"You're welcome, Star. Anything for a friend."

_I hope you're just a friend._

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><p>AN: So, what did you think?Getting good so far? Comments, questions, and reviews are as always welcomed. Oh, and, funfact! The dress that Starfire picked out for Raven to try on it based on a dress I have in my wardrobe; I'll upload what it looks like to my deviantART sometime.


	4. Used

A/N: It's almost 11/11/11! Who all's excited? Okay, so anyway, this chapter features more plot points and conflicts; to me it seems kinda awkwardly written. Nothing bad in this chapter, just like chapters 1 & 2.

Hope you enjoy, and forgive me for any awkwardness in this chapter. It was more difficult to write than I expected.

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><p>Upon their arrival, Raven and Starfire were greeted with the usual scene and atmosphere in the operations room. Cyborg and Beast Boy were in heated competition in their usual game. Robin sat on the sidelines cheering for both as they made advances on each other, not sure which to root for.<p>

"Friends!" Starfire exuberantly opened her arms and went to greet them. The game paused and all three boys looked over the back of the sofa. Beast Boy and Cyborg ducked as she grabbed the back of the sofa and swung herself over, landing between the two. Raven just stared, not sure what to think.

Robin leaned forward to look at Starfire with a smile. "Where have you been all day?"

"Yeah, don't you usually stay at the tower?" Beast Boy piped in.

Starfire kicked her flats off and propped her feet up on the table. "It was glorious! Raven and I-"

"Whoa, back the truck up." Beast Boy stopped her. "You and _Raven_ went somewhere? Raven, the Raven that _never _goes anywhere? You sure we're talking about the same person here?"

"Yes! We went to the mall of shopping and then had a divine feast of pizza!" Starfire sighed in contentment and relaxed on the sofa.

"Sounds like you had a pretty good time," Robin continued; Starfire gave a smile and nod. Robin turned to the back of the room. "Raven, did you-" As he said this, everyone followed his line of sight. Raven, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"What's with her? She's always disappearing," Beast Boy picked up his controller and restarted the game; Cyborg hesitated before taking his and pursuing after him.

"It's just how she is, Beast Boy." Robin again had his eyes glued to the screen.

"The man's got a point." Cyborg pitched in, punching his green teammate.

"She doesn't have to be so creepy."

Starfire looked around at each of them, feeling a bit uncomfortable that they were talking about Raven. She excused herself and quickly darted for the door, but Robin's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Starfire, is everything okay? Why the rush?"

She turned to look at him with her usual happy smile. "I am just tired from today. I think I will retire early." Robin shrugged and turned back to the screen, and Starfire continued on.

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><p>Raven stopped outside her room. She sighed as she stared at the open doorway; she'd have to make sure Beast Boy hadn't touched anything again. Raven started to go inside when she had the feeling someone was behind her. She spun around to find Cyborg looming over her. "Uh...were you following me?"<p>

"No, I came to talk to you about your door. What happened to it?"

"Starfire. She...woke me up this morning, so we could go to the mall. I had the door locked."

Cyborg's face turned questioning. "Why didn't she just knock louder?"

"That's what I thought." Raven looked at the doorway, then back to Cyborg. "You don't mind replacing it do you?"

"Of course not, Rae." He crossed his arms and gave a friendly smirk. "I know how you like your privacy. I can't say I blame you, because of BB."

"Thanks. When can you have it finished?"

"Well, if I start now, maybe in about an hour and a half."

Raven was disappointed but didn't show it. "Okay. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Nah, just go meditate or something. I'll let you know when it's finished. And don't worry; no one's getting in here while I'm working on it."

Raven nodded and walked away. She turned the corner and found herself looking at Starfire's door. _I have to talk to her_, she thought. _I have to know what's going on._ Raven knew it was only going to bother her until she knew.

She stopped outside of Starfire's door and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Almost immediately the door opened and Starfire pulled Raven into a warm embrace. It wasn't crushing as it usually was, and Raven awkwardly returned the hug. She pressed on Starfire's shoulder when she didn't let go and backed away. Raven noticed that Starfire had changed into more casual attire since their departure.

"Friend Raven, why do you come to my room?" Starfire clasped her hands in front of her and gave a friendly smile, as was the norm.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you, Starfire. May I come in?"

Starfire's face became serious. She nodded and stepped aside to allow Raven inside. "Of course,"

Raven stepped inside Starfire's room; it was ironic, even the two girl's rooms were polar opposites. "What is it you wish to talk about, Raven?"

She had to think. She wanted to ask Starfire what was with her being so close to her today, but she also knew there was the matter that Starfire wanted to know what was going on with her. Perhaps it was just Starfire's way of expressing close friendship, and that she just didn't display it in such way until today. Maybe it was part of her culture. Raven's mind settled, and she chose the latter.

Raven sat on the edge of Starfire's bed. "We never got to discuss my...issues. I know how concerned you are."

Starfire sat next to Raven. "Yes. Forgive me, but I wanted to have a good time with you. I feared such talk might ruin the occasion."

Raven nodded and turned to face Starfire completely. "Star, you remember how I told everyone Trigon was my father, right? Trigon himself may be physically gone, but...part of him will always be inside me."

Starfire looked confused. "But why would this be of any problem? Was the prophecy not fulfilled?"

Raven gave a slight sigh. "The prophecy of my birth_ was _completed, to act as a portal for Trigon to come into this world. His blood, his..." She paused, searching for words to say that were descriptive but simple enough that Starfire would understand. "his so called 'legacy' lives on inside me, because we share a common trait."

"Raven, you have done nothing to be matched to Trigon." Starfire placed a hand to one of Raven's; they were very warm, as if her skin were cold as ice. "As Robin said, you dared to go against what the prophecy foretold."

"See, the thing is," raven looked to the floor, trying to find a distraction. "I've been getting these horrible dreams and flashbacks, all of them having to do with Trigon, the destruction of my friends, myself...just so many bad things. It's so mocking, that he's gone and it still effects me. In some of my dreams he puts me down, says I'm made of nothing but darkness and that all I could ever be is evil, and sometimes I have to agree with him."

Starfire pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned to look Raven in the face. Raven shifted her eyes in Starfire's direction as to question her gaze. "You must think I'm insane telling you this."

Starfire shook her head. "I believe you are still suffering from the trauma and shock you experienced when we battled the Trigon." Raven's eyes shifted back down, void of feeling. "And Raven," Raven looked at Starfire again. "Just because the Trigon says you are made of darkness, that does not mean it is a bad thing. Can darkness not be used for good? It is simply misunderstood, much like you are."

A slight smile crossed Raven's lips. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Thanks, Star."

Starfire smiled and opened her arms to invite Raven into a hug which Raven graciously accepted. It did not last as long as it usually would, and when Starfire pulled away, Raven saw something in her face that made her curious. "Starfire, I know this may be a stupid question, but why do you like to hug me so much? I mean, more than usual...and you don't crush me."

Starfire shifted a little and played with her fingers. "Forgive me, friend. I know you do not like the hugging, but you always seem like you need one."

Raven found that she was surprised. "To be honest, I don't mind your hugging. Most of the reason I've told people to get off, mostly you, is because they crush me. Of course, you haven't been doing that lately, and..it feels nice for once."

"Sometimes it is medicine in itself to hold and be held by another." Starfire closed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, as if to hug herself. Her words are true, Raven thought. Starfire's hugs were comforting and brought her peace in such a stressful time.

"Anyway," Raven pushed herself to her feet. "Thanks for listening, Star. I could've told someone else, but I don't think they'd listen. I mean, you just seem to understand more."

"Of course, Raven. I would gladly help you with anything I can, you know that."

Raven started for the door, but hesitated. "Starfire, are you going to be leaving the tower tonight?"

Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "I will not be for some time. Why do you ask?"

Raven looked down at her feet. "The nightmares I've been having are almost nightly. I've woken up to my own screaming and thrashing, and I've even hurt myself before. I'm _afraid _of what happens outside of my nightmares. If it's not too much to ask, would you check on me before you leave?"

The alien nodded. "I will."

Raven let out a small sigh. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. I need to go check to see how my new door is coming along. I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

Starfire smiled and stood up, walking with Raven to the door. "Yes. Thank you for stopping by, Raven. I hope your sleeping goes well."

Raven stepped out into the hallway and headed back to her room. She found that Cyborg was still there. She could see that the door was in the doorway, but could see something was wrong. As Raven came closer, Cyborg noticed her and stopped tinkering with the door. "How's the door coming along, Cyborg?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm having some trouble getting it to fit in properly; the frame was banged up pretty bad."

"So, what exactly isn't working?" Raven took a look at the door; it looked like it were in properly, except that it was opened slightly.

"It's not sliding like it should be. It has to be forced open by hand." Cyborg pulled it open a little more, enough to get a small view into Raven's room. "I'm getting sick of trying to deal with it."

"I was actually about to go to bed anyway. You can just work on it tomorrow." Raven shrugged, indifferent to his decision.

"Yeah. I might end up tearing it back down if I keep going. Anyway, have a good night, Rae." Cyborg turned and walked away. Raven passed through the half closed door into her room, the feeling of sleep heavy on her mind.

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><p>"<em>What you have concealed, you shall become."<em>

The sky was black and the smell of ash assaulted Raven's nose. She staggered to her feet and looked around; she was outside the old library. All around her were post-Armageddon ruins.

"_What you have concealed, you shall become."_

Raven spun in each direction, trying to find the voice. She looked up to find the two pairs of red eyes that she knew so well. Her heart sunk as a mocking laugh rang through her ears. "Father..."

"Hello again, Raven."

Dangerous black flames formed around Raven and she clenched her fists. "I know you're not real! I destroyed you!"

"On the contrary, my dear child, I am eternal." The eyes vanished, and Raven relaxed. She hoped nothing was to happen next, but she knew it was a futile hope.

"Dear Raven,"

Raven turned to find Trigon behind her. Panic struck her heart and she tried to flee; Trigon snatched her up in his hand and brought it to his face. His hand opened, and he smiled devilishly down upon a fallen Raven. "Why do you hide from what you are?"

"I know who I am!" Raven forced herself to rise. "I know that I am nothing like you!"

Trigon's eyes narrowed. "Look at what you've done." He motioned his free hand to the hell around him. "Look at the destruction you've brought."

Anger flared inside of Raven. The black flames formed around her again. "I didn't do this! _You_ did! You used me to get here, to cause all of this!"

Trigon bellowed a laugh and grazed a claw across Raven's cheek. "No matter how much you deny it, there will always be evil in you. You and I are the same; our blood is the same. You'll always be daddy's little girl, whether you like it or not."

"I'm nothing like you! I'll never be you!" Raven screamed it over and over, the flames around her growing higher and more dangerous. Trigon closed his fist around her and scoffed.

"You don't have a choice." His fist became tighter and tighter, and Trigon's face lit up with a cruel smile as he heard Raven scream in pain. "You have been and always will be mine to command. What you have concealed, you shall become."

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><p>AN: I thought it was about time for another nightmare. Yes, this all has some significance, don't worry. So how was this chapter? Not too cheesy? Reviews would be great.

I'm already working on ideas for the next chapter. I should have it posted within the next few weeks.


	5. Raven LeStrange

A/N: Sorry for the painfully long update and short chapter. I had a little trouble writing this chapter, and when on a short hiatus. I should be okay for now, and the story will most likely be moving faster after this point.

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><p>"Raven! Raven, you must snap out of it!" Starfire violently shook Raven; her teammate was lying on her bed, eyes wide open and filled with fear, mouth agape, and arms reaching outwards. "Raven!" Starfire's eyes glowed in frustration and she slapped Raven across the face.<p>

As Raven recovered, Starfire could feel her friend's body ease from it's tension. Raven's arms fell to her sides, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She mouthed the words "not again" as the tears spilled over. Starfire sat on the bed and pulled Raven into her arms. Raven clung to Starfire as she wept, and Starfire gently cooed in her ear.

Eventually, Raven had calmed down enough that Starfire felt comfortable enough to speak. "Raven, please tell me what your dream was about." She ran her delicate fingers through Raven's short hair, trying to bring her down further.

Raven moved closer to Starfire and closed her eyes. She would normally be embarrassed to be seen like this, reduced to a trembling broken heap. For some reason, being like this in front of Starfire didn't affect her at all. It felt normal. "Trigon...accusing me of being nothing but evil, that my efforts to get rid of him were a failure." The dream had not, in reality, been so severe; it was the sheer torment of recurrence that broke her. Raven's mind focused on calming itself; not thinking, but feeling. Starfire's hands felt wonderful in her hair, and she could hear Starfire's breathing faint against her ear.

"Raven, we had this discussion not long ago. You are not worthless. No one blames you for what happened. It is the past."

The sorceress looked up at her teammate. "Starfire, how long have I been asleep?"

Starfire seemed confused by the question. "Perhaps a few hours. Why?" Raven just shook her head as another tear slipped from her eye. The alien held her closer and gently cooed, hoping to calm her. "What troubles you, friend?"

Raven felt a little uncomfortable at the closeness and tried to pass through Starfire's arms, but found she was too petrified to do so. "I can't sleep like this. I can't function, can't _live_ like this."

"You can and you must." Raven mulled over the words as several thoughts and scenarios played over in her mind.

"What if I have another nightmare? What if they become real? What if I hurt myself?" Her eyes peered up at Starfire in a worried questioning way.

Starfire clutched Raven to her chest, unknowingly smothering her. "Do not say such things! You will be fine, I promise it."

"But what if-"

Starfire touched a finger to Raven's lips. "I will stay here with you until I have to leave. If something happens, I will awaken you immediately. Not that anything will happen to you."

Raven pushed against Starfire's shoulder and the two parted. Raven awkwardly looked down at her bedsheets as she thought of something to say. Starfire sat there, head tilted and watching her. "It is okay for me to stay here and watch you sleep?"

Her friend nodded. "Maybe it will stop the process of the nightmares. I'm not to fond of the idea, but it's worth a try." Starfire stood and allowed Raven to lie down. She stared up at the alien with worry. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Starfire nodded and fell into levitation, crossing her legs. "Positive." Raven stared up at Starfire's eyes which seemed to literally glow in the dark; worry was still smeared across her face and she knew it. Starfire gave one last comforting smile. "Do not be afraid, friend." She turned over and pulled her blankets around her, curling her body as tight as she could. A false sense of security crept over her mind, but the girl was too afraid and confused to let it deprive her from sleep.

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><p>The slight fluttering noise of the curtains woke her later in the morning. Raven found herself sprawled haphazardly across the bed. Most of the blankets had been kicked off and the smell of sweat loomed in Raven's hair; most possibly the product of her recent nightmare. With a groan she rose from the bed, quickly fixing her bed, and then went to her closet to pull the day's uniform out.<p>

Another refreshing shower; Raven felt as though the night's dread had been washed away. She dropped her civilian clothing into a hamper as she left the bathroom, being happy that she wasn't wearing them anymore. She had grown accustomed to her uniform, to the fact it allowed her to use her powers more effectively.

She glanced at the clock on her wall; it was nearly noon, and this surprised her. Raven had not slept in any later than ten o'clock in a long time. She shook her head, thinking that it was just the lack of sleep that had caused it. This provided little comfort. Raven moved back to her bed, sitting down and reaching for an old book on the nightstand. It was then she noticed a slip of paper; to took it and scanned her eyes over what looked like Starfire's handwriting.

_ "I hope that your sleeping goes well while I am away. It will please you to know that no other disturbances have occurred. I have my communicator with me; if something should happen while I am gone, please inform me and I will not hesitate to return."_

Raven stared at the words for a few minutes, studying the way Starfire wrote; gentle traces on the paper with unique precision. Raven wasn't sure why, but Starfire's penmanship captivated her.

Reality snapped back to her as her stomach growled, and she sighed. She placed the paper back on top of her book and stood to walk to the door.

Robin turned his head from the operation room's screen as he heard to door to the room open. He watched as Raven casually strolled to the fridge, opening it and digging through its contents. "Uh...good morning...Raven?" Raven seemed to not pay attention to Robin as she grabbed a plate and threw it in the microwave. Robin knew it was normal behavior for her to be anti-social, but lately her absence bothered him.

Raven sat down at the counter with her back turned to Robin. Robin stared at her for a few minutes. He stood up and sat on the stool next to her. "Raven, is there anything you want to talk about?"

Raven shifted her eyes to look at him briefly, then back down to her plate. "No, I'm fine. Everything is fine."

Robin looked at her with concern. "I didn't ask if you were fine. Look, Raven, the only reason I ask is because...well, no one's seen you around much lately." He waited a minute, and turned on the stool. "Starfire said you've been having trouble sleeping lately. Something about nightmares?"

Raven's eyes grew wide. The fork she held in her hand bent and the coffee pot on the other side of the kitchen shattered. The tea Raven set to brew spilled all over the counter and onto the floor. Robin nearly fell off his chair, watching as Raven tensed up. "She told you?"

"Well...yeah. Star tells me everything."

Raven turned and grabbed him by the neck. "How much did she tell you?"

Robin held up his hands. His eyes grew wide, knowing that Raven could easily maim him if she wanted to. "Just that you have been having nightmares! Relax, Raven, she didn't say anything else!" Raven let go of him, pulled her hood up, and disappeared. Robin rubbed his neck where Raven had gripped him. He stood up and went around the counter to grab the mop from the storage closet.

Raven reformed on her bed. She fell back, staring at the ceiling and fuming. How could Starfire say something? She turned on her side and closed her eyes, thinking. It was Starfire; what could she expect? If Starfire didn't vent regularly, she might blow up...Raven sat up; she focused and started to meditate. There was nothing else to do but wait for Starfire to get back. She had so many questions to ask, so many things to resolve.

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><p>AN: On another note, if you post a review, please do NOT try to give away spoilers to what you might think the story is about or later elements that may or may not be included. You can just pm me that sort of stuff, or email me; my contact info is on my profile. If you do this, your reviews will get removed.


	6. Furtive

AN: YEAHHHHH. I actually got this chapter done right on the time I wanted to! Skyris is so proud of herself. I hope you all enjoy!

StarxRae in this chapter, hinting at it anyway.

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><p>Starfire cautiously crept into the tower, making sure to leave as little noise in her wake as possible. She tiptoed past Robin's room, then past Cyborg and Beast Boy's. She began to pass Raven's when she stopped, noticing the still broken door, half opened to reveal a sliver of her teammate's room. Starfire stopped, staring at the dark hole for a few moments before hovering to it and peering inside; from here she could see the foot of the bed and the windows. "Raven?" she called out softly, not knowing whether or not she was awake.<p>

A few moments later, not even before Starfire could draw another breath to sigh in disappointment, Raven's hand passed through the door and grabbed Starfire's arm. Her body became cloaked in Raven's telekinetic powers, and she passed through the door as Raven pulled her through.

Starfire smiled as she watched Raven push the hood of her cloak down. She exuberantly hugged her, but Raven pushed away after a few seconds. Starfire looked down at her in confusion, wondering if she had done something wrong. "Is there something that troubles you, friend?"

Raven sighed and turned to walk back to the foot of her bed. She sat down and motioned her head for Starfire to sit next to her. Starfire obeyed with a slight nod, and walked over to sit next to her. She looked curiously at her, wondering if Raven would answer her question. "Star, I didn't intend for you to tell anyone about what's been going on. I wanted to keep that between us." She looked down, turning her head slightly away so that she couldn't see Starfire.

The alien leaned curiously as Raven averted her gaze. "I was worried about you, Raven. But Robin is your friend also, is he not? Should he know as well as I do?"

"Some things are better left unsaid to others, for their own good."

Starfire furrowed her brows in frustration. "How is this any different from when you told us of Trigon's ascension? You did eventually trust us enough to tell us, yes? And we helped you." Her face remained serious as she continued to look at Raven, who herself was still looking away from her teammate.

"I don't know, Star. But they don't need to know. I trust you more with these things because…well, Beast Boy would freak, Cyborg might think I'm going crazy, and Robin…" She trailed off, shaking her head and rubbing her temples.

"Starfire," she began, finally having the courage and curiosity needed to muster up what she had been thinking about for the past day. Raven looked over at her, into those big green pools of eyes. "When we were at the mall in the dressing room, and then at the pizza parlor, why were you so…" She paused for a moment, a strange feeling rising in her chest. "Why were you so close to me?"

Starfire looked a little dumbfounded at the question, and Raven prepared for the excuses Starfire would make up. She felt stupid for asking; what if it were just some Tameranian custom between two female companions? "Is it wrong for two girls who are friends to be so close?"

Raven sighed. She just knew she shouldn't have said anything. "I don't know what the customs on Tameran are, but here on Earth, some people…well, they just don't think that it's right."

Starfire looked down at her hands which were in her lap and started to twirl her index fingers around each other. "On Tameran, it is a sign of respect and love for a female companion who is close and trusted. It is most often practiced between sisters, but since Blackfire and I never really had a close relationship, this never happened for me."

Raven gave a slight nod, still looking at Starfire. "I guessed it was something like that." She stayed quiet, thinking to herself. _Now that wasn't bad, was it, Raven?_

"If it does not mean companionship between friends, then what does it mean?"

Raven's heart skipped a beat. She really didn't feel like explaining this to Starfire; no matter how hard she tried, it was going to end up sounding awkward somehow. "It's a sign of affection. It's kind of like friendship, but…not really." Raven chewed on her lip for a few seconds, trying to think of a better explanation. "It means they physically like each other."

Starfire looked over at her with a confused expression across her face. "So then it is the same?"

Raven let out a small sigh. Why couldn't she just say it? "No. You know how you see girls holding onto a guy's arm, or their hand?"

Starfire's face lit up. "Yes! It means they are in a relationship, or are 'dating.' "

Raven felt a little better knowing that she understood that part. "It's basically the same thing, only between two girls instead of what's deemed to be traditional."

The expression on Starfire's face melted slowly as she took in what Raven has said, and Raven's mood dipped. "So, you are afraid that by doing these things in a public place with you, you fear that I may have set the wrong impression to anyone watching."

"Yes. I mean, no." Raven could feel her face start to heat up with embarrassment, but she beat the emotions back quickly. "In a public place, I'm more worried about ridicule." She didn't know why; she saw perfectly straight girls do it all the time in public places. "If it were a place like in the Tower or my or your room, I'd be okay with it. I guess what I mean to say is, I'm not used to having that sort of affection from another girl. Do you understand, Star?"

Starfire reached up and gripped a small lock of her red hair between her index finger and thumb. She ran her digits over them, and gave a small nod. Raven could see she had a forlorn look on her face; almost as if she had lost her best friend, and, in a way, she did. She felt a little guilty having said anything, and she sighed. She leaned over and pulled Starfire into a hug, something she was known not to do often, but somehow, this felt okay. It felt right, in a sense; it wasn't like she was that cold hearted.

Starfire cringed a little and her body stiffened for a short second as she felt her friend's slender arms around her, and her eyes grew a little. Raven sat there in silence, worrying, waiting for Starfire to move or say something, to at least hug her back to let her know she accepted the silent apology. Just as Raven was about to pull back from Starfire, the alien finally turned on the foot of the bed and wrapped her arms around Raven. Raven sighed inwardly to herself, relieved that Starfire did not seem too upset with her. She felt Starfire relax, and she herself let the tension fall from her body and closed her eyes as she rest a little more of her weight on Starfire's frame.

And it was then that she realized something, sitting there hugging her friend. Raven didn't find anything about what Starfire had done repulsive, not in the least bit. She dared to say it was liberating in some way, although she wasn't quite sure why yet. Maybe she would figure that out in time. Maybe she would figure out what all this meant. She started to question her sexuality a little; it was something she never really thought about. Who would want a freak like her, she always asked herself. But now…There was reason to question, and this scared her. What about Starfire? Did she like her? What if the friendly Tameranian gesture had been something more romantic, and what if Starfire was just pretending not to know the customs on Earth?

All the questions seemed to rack in her brain, confusing her and somewhat making her enraged with herself for thinking this way. She finally pulled away from Starfire enough to turn to look at the clock. It was pretty late, being just after midnight. She turned her head back to look at Starfire, and then looked down as she realized a slight pressure on her waist; Starfire's hands. Had they been there the entire time? Raven then noticed the position of her own hands, placed delicately on Starfire's shoulders. Her skin crawled, and she felt like an idiot, being in a romantic position without meaning to.

Raven placed her hands in her lap and scooted away until Starfire eventually moved her hands from Raven's waist. Raven again looked at the clock, and Starfire followed her gaze. Raven looked down at the floor and eventually the other shifted her gaze from the clock. She knew what Raven wanted without asking. "I will stay with you again, friend, if it pleases you." Raven gave a small nod and made her way to the head of the bed. She slipped beneath her single blanket, near the middle of the mattress, and curled into her usual position.

Starfire just sat there on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, watching Raven as she remained motionless. It was only until she was sure Raven was asleep did she move, not out of the room, but to the head of the bed. She slipped her shoes off and set them out of the way and slipped quietly into the bed with careful, slow movements. Starfire again made sure not to move for a few moments, making sure Raven was still asleep. Finally, she started to inch her way toward the middle and Raven. She gave a soft sigh as she turned onto her side and watched her teammate sleep; she seemed so much different when she slept, so peaceful, so…_beautiful_. Was that the word she wanted to use? No, not at all. There were no words to describe her.

And to think she barely got away from telling Raven how she felt. Maybe it was because Raven didn't want to discuss it, but either way, she was happy she at least had a little more time before she had to fess up to her.

Suddenly, as if on cue with Starfire's thoughts, Raven groaned and moved her body closer to Starfire's, following the warmth she created. Starfire lie motionless as Raven moved herself, not wanting to disturb her until she finished. Eventually she ended up with her face pressed into Starfire's shoulder, arms crossed in an 'X' across her chest. Starfire couldn't help but let a smile cross her lips as she herself wrapped her arms around Raven. Her hands went up to the back of Raven's head, her fingers making small circles on her scalp. She sighed happily, and soon sleep dragged her under.

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><p>AN: Don't forget to check my deviantArt! The link to my dA page is on my FFN profile. Starting with the release of this chapter, Before the Dawn will also be posted there. Also, I regularly post previews to upcoming chapters, so don't miss out on that if you want a bit of a tease. :)<p> 


	7. Your Star

A/N: ...I have no idea what to write in my A/N..

Oh, wait. Now I do. xD Alright, first I want to say thank you to all the absolutely wonderful reviews and support since the last update! You have no idea how happy your reviews make me. Also, as of the submission of this chapter, BTD has revieced 5,776 hits, approximately 17 reviews (not counting double posts), 17 favorites, and 33 subscriptions. ;3;

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><p>The morning following seemed to be a blur as Raven stirred from her slumber. Her bed was empty, and she had somehow moved to the foot of the bed overnight. She was sure Starfire had been there the night before; maybe she had to leave once again? But that didn't make sense to Raven as Starfire was only gone during the night, provided she was not supposed to be somewhere. This notion made no sense to her either; Starfire was one to notify everybody if she were to be somewhere without notice.<p>

"Maybe I'm just overthinking things," she said to herself as she sat up on the end of the bed. Raven's arms stretched above her head. One hand fell down to half smack over her eyes and rub them to further wake herself. She sat there for a moment, reluctant to get out of bed before eventually slipping off the mattress to her feet. She quickly ordered herself, combing her hair and changing into fresh clothes; civilian's clothes at that.

Heads turned as Raven entered the Operations Room. Raven stood still and watched them for a few seconds until their gazes were averted back to whatever it was they were doing; Cyborg and Beast Boy went back to their usual game, Robin went back to eating, and Starfire...

Starfire wasn't there. Or at least, not that she could see.

She secretly hoped that Starfire was just hiding somewhere in the tower, or maybe she was just in bed.

"Good morning, Raven." Robin chirped as Raven took the seat next to him in the small kitchen. Raven gave a quiet sigh. It was too early in the morning to deal with his positive, constantly optimistic tone. Starfire is worse, she told herself, but she had become accustomed to Starfire's kind and gentle ways over the years; it was just natural.

When Raven did not respond to Robin's first greeting, he leaned forward to get a better look at her face from a three quarters view. Raven snapped her head to look at him. "What?" she snapped, her voice harsh. Robin's brow rose and he leaned away. Raven watched him in curiosity to his reaction before sighing and rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry, Robin. I don't sleep much these days."

Robin only stared at her. He propped one of his elbows on the counter in front of him and placed his head in his palm. "So it's true then, what Starfire said." Raven nodded and he made a thoughtful face. "And I assume you still only trust the details to Starfire?"

Raven gave another nod.

"Understandable." Robin's eyes lingered on her as she remained silent and her gaze shifted back down to the table. He was still eager to know just what exactly took place in the dreams Raven was having; if they had such a profound effect on her and knowing Raven's fragile mental structure, they could have a devastating reaction on her. "I respect your decision. Maybe it is best of only Starfire knew."

_Starfire._

A sigh escaped Raven's lips. "Robin, it's not that I don't want you to know. I just want to keep this between Starfire and me for now. Maybe I'll tell you later, once I can sort everything out in my head. And maybe get more sleep."

"Must be something really gross if she wants it to be kept with Starfire." Beast Boy muttered to himself. Robin and Raven's heads both turned simultaneously to stare at the back of the couch.

Raven pulled her eyes away from the furniture and rubbed her left brow. Robin soon took notice. "Starfire. Where is she?" she asked.

Robin could only shrug. "I'm not sure myself. I just know that she's usually at the tower on Wednesdays, mornings especially." Raven became troubled; she knew this as well as he did. Her mind drifted off into thought in attempt to think of where Starfire might be.

"Do you think something could have happened to her?" Robin asked, prying Raven from contemplation. She immediately wished he hadn't. Starfire being in trouble was one thing that Raven didn't want to think about. Raven just remained silent, her eyes still on Robin's face. Robin, in turn, became concerned with her sudden quietness. "Maybe she's just busy with something, Raven."

"It's not like Starfire to leave and not give word of where she's going to be." Raven said quietly. She sat in silence, her eyes scanning over the countertop as she thought. She finally turned from her seat and slipped off it. She started back for the door, leading to their rooms. Robin's eyes trailed after her.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks. Come with her? Did she look that helpless? "Robin, I'm more than capable of checking up on Starfire myself." She didn't turn to face him.

"But what if something happens to you, too? What if you're out in Jump City and …whatever is wrong with you happens? How are we going to know you're okay?"

Raven was surprised at Robin's sudden overly concerned tone. "That only happens to me at night, and I don't plan on leaving the Tower. Even if I did, I'd be an idiot not to take my communicator with me." She stopped just before the door leading out into another corridor. "I'm just going to check Starfire's room, nothing else."

With that, she disappeared behind the door, leaving Robin alone beside himself. It was only then that he noticed the room as a whole had grown quiet, and he turned to look at the sofa. The game pulled up on the screen was paused and slung over the back of the sofa was Beast Boy and Cyborg. Robin's brow rose. "How long have you two been listening?"

"Just long enough to see how mushy you are." Beast Boy said, crossing his arms on the back of the sofa. Robin glared at him and Beast Boy sunk down a little.

Cyborg shook his head. "He means to say that we're worried about Star, too."

Robin sighed and looked down to the floor. "Starfire isn't the only one we have to worry about."

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><p>Raven ventured down the hall. Her mind was still clinging to Robin's words, the horrid possibility that Starfire was in trouble. "Starfire is perfectly capable of defending herself in danger." she said to herself quietly. But what if it were someone like Overload or Cinderblock? No, this wasn't reasonable either. An alarm would have been sounded by now, and the whole team would have been launched into battle.<p>

Raven stopped outside of Starfire's room and stared at the blandly grey door. "Starfire?" she called as she knocked on it. She fell silent, awaiting an answer. None came and she sighed. "Starfire? I'm coming in. Please be decent." The last sentence fell quiet on her lips. She pressed her palm to the door, letting it pass through before letting her body follow.

Raven's eyes searched around the room for the bubbly Starfire, seeing no trace of her. The condition of the room worried her even more; Starfire's bed wasn't made as it usually was, and clothes lie in disarray on the floor. "Star?" Raven said softly as she started to wander around the room only to find nothing.

She stopped and looked at the bed, her mind racing. Raven began to pace. "Maybe I should go to find her. What if she's in trouble, like Robin said?" One of Raven's hands went up to cover her eyes and she stopped. She went over to the side of the bed and sat down, letting the hand slide from her face. Almost instantly, her eyes landed on the nightstand, where Starfire's communicator lay. Raven gave a small sigh as she reached for it and picked it up. "If Starfire wanted to be found, she would have taken it with her." she said quietly, her hand closing around the device.

Raven replaced the communicator back where it previously was. She placed her hands in her lap and looked down at them, thinking quietly to herself. Why was Starfire gone? And furthermore, why did Raven much care? Starfire had left the Tower dozens of times; what made this any different? Raven's own question answered itself. Without Starfire, she was afraid to fall asleep; afraid the dreams would come back, or even become real. Something about Starfire gave a soothing aura to Raven's slumber, one Raven now craved; though she had slept well the night before, her overall lack of sleep was wearing on her.

This troubled Raven, because she knew Starfire most likely wouldn't return until nightfall or even later. She mulled over the idea of waiting for her to return, but knew her body wouldn't allow it. She looked hesitantly behind her at the inviting strewn blanket; would Starfire be upset to return to Raven asleep in her bed? This question lingered horridly in her mind. Starfire wouldn't possibly care that much. She knew Raven was having difficulty sleeping.

But what if Starfire were to say that Raven has her own bed? Raven began to again question her thoughts and what her friend would say, but stopped from going any further. Raven reluctantly lowered her body to the mattress, and then brought her feet onto the bed with her. She stared up at the ceiling as she lay motionless on her back; the feeling of being in Starfire's bed was alien. It was soft and comforting, much like its owner's embrace. Raven turned over onto her side and found in astonishment that the bedding smelled profusely of Starfire, and it was purely hypnotizing. Raven's thin fingers gripped the fabric and brought it to her nose. Her eyes closed as Starfire's exotic scent filled her nose; a few seconds later, she wrapped the fabric around herself so that only her shoulders up were visible.

Raven's mind began to wander off as her eyes remained closed against the semi-lit room, her body numbing with the onset of sleep. Somewhere, in the back of Raven's mind, she hoped she would stay on the boundary between sleep and alertness; the closest thing Raven had to Starfire was just her scent. How could this possibly protect her from her nightmares?

These thoughts fell away from Raven as she pulled the blanket around her tighter; the smell became more prominent. Raven's mind began to slip from reality with the smell and warmth of the blanket's embrace about her. _Just pretend it's Starfire, _was the last of the thoughts that spoke to her. _It smells like her, feels like her._ Raven allowed this thought to take her over. Soon she began to feel and hear the more physical aspects of Starfire; she could hear her heart, her breath as she exhaled. These small things alone brought her to a complete sense of calmness, and brought her mind to rest.

"Starfire…"

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><p>AN: Getting a bit more complicated, isn't it? 8D ..Maybe not too much, but it's getting there.


	8. Requiem

AN:Hey everyone, sorry for the very long hiatus. I've been very busy with school and life and...really a lot of things, and I'm still very, very busy.

I hope this chapter does some service for my long absence. I will let you all know now that I am going to be rewriting and resubmitting chapters 1-7. No new chapters will be released until they are done, and all 7 will be submitted at the same time so you won't have to wait. Thank you for your support along the way.

For those of you who have forgotten, at the end of the last chapter, Raven falls asleep in Starfire's bed. The following, until the break, is Raven's dream and told in her point of view. This is told in a past tense form to make it easier to write/understand.

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><p>"Raven!"<p>

Where am I? Why is it so dark?

"It is such a beautiful day, is it not? Raven?"

I finally gained the sense to open my eyes, and, upon doing so, was not happy with what I saw. I was somewhere outside the tower, possibly still on the island. I could hear the waves of the bay lashing around at rocks off in the distance, and it was foggy, very foggy. And bleak as could be. The sky above boasted a complete overcast.

And then there was the bubbly Starfire, floating just a few inches against all of this. She was the only bright thing I saw.

She had her usual cheerful countenance; a smile was plastered across her face. Though I would normally feel comforted by Starfire's presence, it was not the case then. There was something I felt looming in the air around us; the sound of crashing waves and fog made me uneasy.

It was then that I saw Starfire's expression had changed to a confused one; my own face dropped a little, my brows furrowed.

"What troubles you, friend?" she said in a gentle tone. I could only shake my head as a nauseous feeling crept into the pit of my stomach.

"I don't know," I finally managed to mutter, grabbing a lock of my hair and running my hands over it nervously. "Starfire, how did we get out here?" She made a giggle at the silly question, to which she did not answer. Starfire trotted the short distance between us and grabbed my wrists. She began to levitate, but only six or so inches off the turf. I attempted to join her in levitation so we would be more eye-level to each other, but found that I was unable to; the oppressiveness of the air and sick feeling in my gut were the most likely contributors for this.

I remained motionless, staring up at Starfire in immense confusion. My mind was racing with thoughts. What were we doing out here, and why? What was the ominous aura that I could feel around us? Why weren't my powers working?

"Raven," cooed Starfire's gentle voice. I looked into her orbed eyes. She stared down at me with a gentle smile. She dropped my wrists; I let my arms drop absently to my side. Starfire grabbed me beneath my arms, her hands firmly on the sides of my ribcage, and lifted me into a hug with ease. My heart thudded in my chest as I remained still in the awkward suspension. Finally I warily wrapped one arm around Starfire's neck, the other stretched around her back to support my weight upon her light frame; my chin was rested on her shoulder. I felt her hands ease on my sides and slip around to firmly hold the middle of my back, her palms flat to it. I saw and felt her begin to lean backwards with me; she only did so slightly.

Several minutes passed in silence; the only sounds were the ever-crashing waves, the dull, far off buzz of the city, and our breathing. I dared not move from her embrace. It was the only comforting thing about this whole ordeal and I was not about to leave it.

"Starfire?" I said weakly. My fingers clenched themselves into fists. "Why are we here?" I could feel her fingers curve gently, then the rake of bone along my spine.

"Why not?" said she. "The weather is pleasant today, yes?"

I raised my head up from her shoulder to stare at her with curious eyes. My brows were furrowed hard. "Starfire, this isn't nice weather. It's not warm; it's dank and cold. And it's so foggy I can't see ten feet in front of-"

I felt one of Starfire's hands make its way to the back of my head where her thin fingers played softly with my hair. She gently pushed my head back down to her shoulder; I said no other words in protest. I remained as still as possible, heart thumping in my chest again. She began to hum softly and, eventually, I was lulled into a semi-trance state and a false sense of security.

My body began to numb itself in the same way it does with sleep; I felt nothing, I thought of nothing. All I could mentally feel was an acute fogginess in my head. I began to feel slight movements and shifts in Starfire's body. I could feel her trembling beneath my hands. The movements and shifts were occasionally joined by an unusual sound, but, through my haze, I thought nothing of these things for several minutes. Finally, Starfire made a jerk violent enough to snap me back into reality; I almost wished she hadn't.

The feeling in my hands returned to me; beneath them I felt coarse, heavy fur. Fur? I thought in utter confusion. That should have been my first warning something was very wrong. I then began to feel a tightening grip around my body; the slender arms that once embraced me were no longer there. These felt much, much more powerful. The elegant, slender curve Starfire sported was replaced by something much more…cushioned, and, like the fur I felt on her back, I could feel it here, too.

As more and more of my mind came into focus, more changes became evident, and with those changes I sank deeper into a pit of fear. The squeezing feeling started to be unbearable upon regaining total alertness. I struggled and squirmed around beneath the force, which must have upset her, because it grew tighter…and then she let out a guttural roar. My eyes grew wide; the last curtains of my haze were lifted. Whatever was holding me now was not Starfire. I forced myself to look up at my captor's face.

What I saw instead of the soft face of the person I knew was the gnarled head of a lion-like beast. A new sudden burst of fear coupled with adrenaline rushed through my veins; I could feel my powers returning to me. Without hesitating, I let loose a surge of energy at my captor. The execution was messy, but it did its purpose; it sent the beast and I flying in opposite directions. I landed roughly on the rocky ground, but through the adrenaline high, I felt nothing. A couple hundred yards from me, I heard the monster crash hard into the earth and release a loud groan.

I stood slowly, watching it grumble and gripe as it lifted itself back onto its feet. I began to study it with frantic eyes; it seemed to me that it was the lovechild of some sort of intergalactic space lion and Grendel the Monster. It was scores larger than the lions on Earth, with large sabers protruding downward out from a formidable maw and it sported an impressive set of over-sized claws on its front paws. Its eyes were void of pupils, filled in with the same glowing green that accompanied Starfire's eyes…actually, the more I looked, the more this lion resembled Starfire. Its base fur was nearly the color of her skin, and the flowing mane the color of Starfire's vibrant red hair. Could this really be Starfire?

With this thought, my adrenaline high sunk very rapidly. Soon I was reduced to a quivering heap again. I felt the power slipping out of most of my body when the beast released a deafening roar. It began bounding recklessly towards me, teeth bared, an ugly snarl upon its face. My entire mind was screaming at me to move out of the way, but I found myself unable to for several moments. Just as the beast was almost upon me, my hand, as if on its own, threw itself upward and with it a barrier of rock. I heard a loud thud and a howl; the earth I sent up had spider web cracks forming across it. Again, my mind yelled for me to move and this time I ran as fast as I could.

This process went on for several minutes. I would run, send up rock, and the lion-thing would crash headlong into it. But after the tenth time of bashing its skull, it must have gained some sense. It slashed its claws at the next portion of earth I sent up and continued to barrel after me. I tried again; the same result. Panicking now, I stopped, turned toward it, and attempted to pick the beast itself up.

But as I soon found out, this was of no use. I was far too weak to do much more than hold it off the ground a few feet. It hung there momentarily, limbs slashing out at the air in anger, and roaring loudly to be released. It fell back down on its feet, and I, drained of nearly all my strength, collapsed to my knees. Desperately I tried to lift myself by any means, but I could not move. The beast began to run to me again, eyes glowering and mane tossing wildly. I turned my head and closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

But nothing happened.

For several seconds I sat there, eyes still closed, listening to a furious roaring just a few feet away. I finally built up the nerve to open my eyes, but I still saw nothing. Everything was black. Then, suddenly, a hole of light opened in the dark ceiling, ripped open by the claws of the beast outside. The light washed over me, and then vanished, and the roaring and pounding noises continued. I realized that I had created a wall around myself, that my arm was raised above my body with dark energy engulfing my hand.

Claws flashed through the wall every so often for the next several endless minutes. I found that each time this happened, my arm felt weaker and as time dragged on, gravity began to take its toll as well. The monster began to rip larger holes in the wall that stayed open longer. I knew I couldn't keep this up forever; in the seconds after the wall fell, I would more than likely be ripped limb from limb. This thought stung me in the heart. I had tenderness for all things macabre, but I didn't exactly wish to be a cadaver just yet. The hammering against the wall and constant, furious roaring continued on in an almost rhythmic pattern...

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><p>It was around sunset when Starfire touched down on Titan Island. The front doors slid open and she walked inside the Tower. The door closed behind her a few seconds later, lock mechanisms creaking. "Robin!" she called, "I have returned!" She broke into a run, heading for the lobby entering into the Operations Room. Starfire was met by Robin in the lobby of the Operations Room. She full forcedly hugged him, nearly knocking the both of them over with the impact. Robin merely chuckled. This was usual for him.<p>

"Oh, how I missed you!" Starfire said cheerfully. She squeezed him a little tighter as though to get her point across, but she let go when she heard Robin's back crackling. They still remained in contact, holding each other by the arms.

"I missed you too, Star." he said with a slight smile, which then sank away with his next question. "Where have you been all this time? We were all getting worried about you. "

Starfire's face sank as well and she shifted her gaze down to the side as though she were ashamed. "I am sorry, Robin. I know it is unusual of me to leave without notice. I received a message from a fellow Titan in Gotham City. He needed my assistance."

Robin's face grew solemn, and maybe just a little angry. "Who in Gotham needed you?" A cruel possibility occurred to him and he released his hold on Starfire. "It was Bruce, wasn't it?"

Starfire's face at his reaction was obviously hurt. Her jaw had dropped slightly in disgust. She drew her hands close to her chest and took a small step backwards. "No, Robin, a Titan." She stressed the last word. "Aqualad has been trying to discover the source of water pollution in the city and needed my assistance locating it."

Robin put his hands on his head. "What in the world does Aqualad care about what goes on in Gotham?" His voice had risen a little.

"Because it is reaching his home! Would you not care if trash drifted up on our home?" By this point, her voice had risen, too.

"And he needed you specifically?"

"Yes, he did!"

Suddenly the door to the Operations Room opened, revealing Cyborg in its doorway. Robin and Starfire immediately stopped their bickering and tried to make themselves look more composed, but it was evident by the serious look on Cyborg's face that he knew what had happened.

Starfire, forcing a smile, looked at Cyborg. "It is good to see you again, friend." She said in a gentle tone. Unlike she had done with Robin, she refrained from her forceful hug.

"Good to see you, too, Star. And Robin," When Cyborg said this, Starfire's face dropped a little. "I need to talk to you about some upgrades in the security systems."

Robin raised a brow in interest. "Security systems? Have we been hacked or something?"

"No, not yet, but it's been a while since I've put any work into it. Some of the systems around the Tower are getting a little glitchy, so there's room for an attack. See, like here in this sector—" He pulled up a map of the Tower on his arm and zoomed in on a sector. Starfire remained silent for a few minutes, just listening, not really understanding what all was being said. She finally she walked past the two boys and entered the Operations Room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Cyborg stopped talking and listened for a few seconds until he was sure Starfire was gone.

Then he said in a low tone, just to be safe, "Yo, Robin, what was all that yelling for?"

Robin narrowed his eyes. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough to know something is up." he said. "Now I know you and Star have a thing going on, but you don't have to be so pushy about everything she does. I mean c'mon, man, you gotta let the girl live a little."

Robin gritted his teeth slightly. "We do not have a thing going on, and she's been gone for an unusual amount of time, in Gotham, without her communicator or another one of us with her."

Cyborg crossed his arms. "Star is a big girl. She can handle herself in Gotham City." He paused for a moment. Curiosity, however, got the better of him. "What was she doing there?"

Robin made a face. "Helping Aqualad find the source of water pollution in the city. Apparently the crud is reaching his base here in the bay."

Cyborg had a puzzled look on his face. "Well, I knew crime fighting is slow nowadays. But Gotham is so far away from Jump City. Do you think it would come this far?"

"That's what my concern is. It is possible, true, but I don't think I've seen much pollution around the water lately. Either way, I'll be speaking to Aqualad about this later. Let's go get started on that security upgrade." Without another word, Robin walked past him and into the Operations Room. Cyborg followed shortly after him.

Starfire waited in the elevator, arms crossed over her chest. She bit her lip as she watched the numbers above the doors rise steadily. When the elevator finally stopped on the top floor and opened, she rushed out and ran straight to Raven's room. She knocked loudly on her door, even yelled for Raven, but received no response. She pried the door open and entered the dark room, falling into levitation.

"Raven?" she whispered into the darkness. No response. Starfire rubbed her arms and continued to search around the room, checking under every logical and illogical place Raven may have been hidden. Finally she checked the bed, picking up the blankets daintily between her fingers. When again she found no signs of Raven, she huffed and fell cross-legged on the mattress, chin in her palms. "Perhaps Raven has traveled into the city," she said to herself reassuringly, but this made little sense. Raven rarely went into the city by herself and only did so when completely necessary.

Starfire uncrossed her legs and scooted herself to the edge of the mattress, then stood. She exited Raven's room and traversed to her own. When she tried to open the door, however, it refused to budge. "Raven?" she called, knocking on the door. "Friend, are you in there?" She knocked again, a little louder. "Raven? Open the door, please! I wish to see you!" She pressed her ear to the door and waited a few seconds, but heard nothing. Her worry turned to panic. Something could have happened to Raven! she thought. "Raven!" she yelled, drawing away from the door and pounding her fists on the door repeatedly, but the door would not budge. Starfire finally tired herself and leaned on the door. "Raven?" She made one last pound in the door with her fist; soon after followed a scream from behind the door. A gasp escaped Starfire's lips and she began to furiously pound on the door. "I will assist you momentarily! Please hold on, friend!"

Meanwhile in the Operations room, Robin stood in front of the wide-screen panel as Cyborg rattled off several computer technological terms he had never heard of. "Cyborg, we're not really in here for a computer upgrade." Robin said, stopping him midsentence.

Cyborg looked at him with his brow raised. "I was being serious about those security problems."

Robin folded his arms behind his back. "Fix them later. Computer." he said; the screen switched on. "Contact Aqualad." A few seconds passed as the computer processed his request and subsequently found the best possible way to contact his colleague. Finally Aqualad responded through what seemed to be his communicator. "Good evening, Aqualad."

Aqualad's face was solemn as ever. "Wish I could say the same to you. What can I do you for?"

"I heard there was pollution in Gotham, and it's stretching to your base."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering," Robin said, "did you request the help of any of my team in the past week?"

When Robin said this, Aqualad's face grew confused. "No, I haven't. I've been able to handle it myself. Why do you ask?"

Robin gritted his teeth. "Starfire told me you asked her to help you."

"I see," was Aqualad's simple reply, and then he added, "You think she's up to something?"

"More than something." Robin disconnected the call.

Cyborg, who remained motionless throughout the short conversation, scratched the back if his head. "So about those upgrades..." Suddenly there was a loud explosion followed by a scream and then a crash. The tower seemed to have been rocked by the impact. Several alarms began to blare throughout the building. "What the heck was that?!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin sped off before Cyborg could finish his sentence. "It sounded like it came from the top floor!" He headed out the door for the stairs, Cyborg right behind him.

"Isn't that where Star went?"

Robin didn't answer. He flung open the door to the stairwell and began to hurry his way up them. When they finally made their way to the top, Robin busted open the stairwell door and continued running without pause. Near the end of the hall, just outside of Starfire's room, was a pile of rubble on the right side of the hall with Starfire sitting among it; on the left side was a figure resembling Raven. "Starfire!" Robin stopped suddenly; Cyborg nearly ran into him. A few steps behind them was Beast Boy in cheetah form.

Starfire placed a hand to her temple and rubbed it. A groan escaped her. She looked up to the figure standing opposite of her; Raven stood trembling, fuming with fists clenched and breath labored. She squinted her eyes at Raven for a few moments until her vision came to focus.

A grimace formed on Raven's lips and darkness formed around her hands, eyes glowing white. She took a few quick steps toward Starfire, hands raised. "I'll vanquish you, lion!"

Cyborg raised his arm, blast cannon ready. "Don't do it, Rae!"

Starfire tilted her head and made a confused face. "Raven, what is a lion?" Raven stared down at Starfire, still fuming and with hands raised. Cyborg remained in his stance, and Robin and Beastboy took stance as well. Starfire sat up a little. "Raven?"

The air remained still for a few moments. Finally the energy around Raven's hands subsided. Her eyes stopped glowing and she lowered her hands. Her countenance grew sad. "Starfire?"

"Yes, Raven?"

Raven's face twisted in despair and she fell into Starfire's lap, knees straddling both sides and arms wrapped around her friend's neck. Starfire hesitantly placed her arms gently around her small back, palms flat. She eventually relaxed from the confusion, extending her hold on Raven to be more comforting. Cyborg, Robin and Beast Boy relaxed their stances and approached slowly.

Beast Boy morphed back into his regular form once they had stopped. "What's going on with Raven?" His voice was low; although he was normally loud and outspoken, seeing his friend and teammate in shambles spoke to him. Starfire looked up into Beast Boy's face, then to Cyborg; it seemed that both of them shared mutual feelings about the ordeal. Robin, however, was unmoved.

She turned her head back to Raven. "You must tell them at some point," she said quietly in Raven's ear. Raven looked up at Starfire, then over to the boys.

"Raven has been having nightmares." Robin said before she could speak his face still unmoved.

Beast Boy broke out into hysterical laughter. "Nightmares? I thought nightmares were normal dreams for Raven!"

Cyborg grimaced and gave Beast Boy a hard slap on the back of his head; he fell with a grunt. "Man, you think this is a joke? She could've seriously hurt Star!"

Raven squinted her eyes angrily. Her eyes glowed white and her body surrounded itself in energy. She launched herself up and vanished through the ceiling. Starfire could only watch and sigh. "It is more than simple nightmares." Starfire said, rubbing her temples. "But you did not have to say that. Perhaps Raven wanted to tell them herself."

"You mean the way you told me?" Robin said icily. Starfire squinted her eyes at him. "We need to talk." he added.

Cyborg frowned at Robin's tone. He looked over at Beast Boy, slapping a mechanized hand hard on his back. "Hey, BB, wanna help me repair the T Car?"

Beast Boy's eyes lit up. He turned and ran for the stairs, laughing hysterically. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"Cyborg followed behind him.

Robin waited until he was sure they were out of earshot. "Do you have something to tell me, Star?"

Starfire remained motionless on the floor, staring up at him. "You will have to be more specific, Robin."

Robin made a sneer. "I called Aqualad. I know you weren't helping him with the pollution problem."

Starfire stood up. Bits of the wall fell to the floor as she rose. "Robin, what I do on my own time concerns myself."

Robin folded his arms. "Your business only?"

"That is correct."

"Kinda like how Raven's business is also your business as well as mine?"

Starfire frowned. "Raven trusts me."

"But you told me."

Starfire stamped one of her feet, leaving a slight impression of her boot in the floor. "I did not believe she would mind at the time. Stop using that against me, please."

Robin stayed silent for a moment, arms still crossed. "I'm going to talk to her later about seeing a therapist."

Starfire shook her head and turned and started to walk into her now doorless room. "I am very tired. We will discuss this later." Starfire disappeared in the room. By this time, the sun had set and the tower was dark. Robin stood still until he heard an audible plop followed shortly by a creak, then turned and walked away.

* * *

><p>AN: Once again I'd like to remind you of my deviantart page (see my profile). I usually post updates and chapter previews there. Also if you have questions for me or don't want to leave a review, you're welcome to send me a message. I love you guys, thank you so much for reading.<p> 


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